Racing horse shoe



April 24, 1955 J. w. BURTON 2,742,969

RAC ING HORSE SHOE] Filed March 29, 1954 I N V EN TOR. J g 111v L/ .5112TON ATTORNEY:

United States Patent 2,742,969 RACING HORSE srron John W. Burton,Tujunga, Calif. Application March 29, 1954, SerialNo. 419,343 Claims.Cl. 168-44 This invention relates to horseshoes and particularly toshoes for racing horses. vention is to provide a shoe which, whileaffording maxi mum traction, through penetration of the track surface bythe shoe, will maintain the heel portion of the horses hoof at maximumelevation while tilting the toe portion downwardly. This attitude ofground contact is beneficial and desirable in that it tends tofacilitate the attainment of higher speed with less efforton the part ofthe horse.

A further object is to provide a shoe which combines the foregoingfunctional advantages in an extremelylightweight structure; minimumweight beinganother'essential requirement of a racing shoe.

A further object is to provide such a racing shoe which can befabricated relatively inexpensively.

A further object is to provide such a shoe which supports the hoof atthe periphery thereof and relieves sole pressure (pressure against theinner area of the hood).

Other objects will become apparent in the ensuing specifications andappended drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an inverted plan view of a racing shoe, particularly adaptablefor dirt tracks, embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear end view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof taken on the line 3--3of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the same taken transverselythrough the middle of one side arm of the shoe as indicated by line 44of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view through the heel tip of an arm ofthe shoe taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is an inverted plan view showing a modified form of theinvention, especially adapted for use as a training plate.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, I have shown in Figs. l-S, asan example of one form in which the invention may be embodied, a racingshoe suitable for dirt tracks, of somewhat elongated proportions; and inFig. 6 I have shown a shoe better adapted for use as a training plate,and of somewhat modified proportions.

Referring first to Fig. 1, my improved racing shoe comprises generally athin web 10 as the inward part of the shoe and a rim 11 projectingdownwardly from the periphery of web 11), both the web and the rimextending continuously from one heel extremity (tip) 12 to the other.

The shoe includes a toe area 13, two lateral areas 14 and two heel areas15.

In cross section, web 10 is quite thin and projects ra- (ll-allyinwardly from the upper extremity of rim 11, lying substantially in acommon plane but having an upper face 16 which is slightlyfrusto-conical, having a slight downward slope from the outer margin tothe inner margin thereof as best illustrated in Fig. 4. The slightdownward and inward slope of upper face 16 provides a concavity whichrelieves sole pressure (pressure of the shoe against the under-surfaceof the horses hoof, except at the periphcry of the hoof).

Flange 11 has an underface (land) 17 which, at any The general object ofthe in- 2,742,969 Patented Apr. 24,1956

2 vertical section of the shoe, is substantially parallel tothe generalplane of flange 10.

'The invention is characterized particularly by the followingproportioning of web 10 and rim 11 from the toe to the heel of the shoe:(1) the width of land 17 increases progressively from a minimum width at17a at the toe of the shoe to maximum width at 17b at heel tips 12; (2)the depth of rim 11 decreases progressively from maximum depth at thetoe of the shoe to minimum depth at the heel tips 12; (3) the widthofweb 10 decreases progressively from the toe of the shoeto the heelareas 15, where the extremities of the webare cut away on a bias, asatlS, to leave the extremities of rim 11 projecting to constitute theheel tips 12; (4) theouter peripheral face 19 of rim 11 is beveleddownwardly and inwardly at side and heel areas 14 and as shown in Figs.*4 and S, but is vertical at the toe area, 13, as shown at 19a in Fig.3;Q

The inner lateral face 20 of rim 11 is beveled downwardly and outwardly,so that in cross-section the rim .11 may be in the form of a wedge whichis truncated to provide the generally fiat lower face 17. i i

' The combination of increasing width and decreasing depth of rim 11from toe to heel has the following advantages: thetoe portion "or therim 11 is relatively deep and thin, with its lower face 17a constitutingpractically a knife edge for penetration of the track surface to maximumdepthwith maximum ease, therebyproviding maximum traction at the toe ofthe shoe. The relatively broad land faces 17b of the heelareas 15 oftheshoeprovide maximum penetration resisting support, whereby the heelareas 15 tend to ride high, tending to elevate the heel portion ofthehorses hoof, and to tilt the toe portion of the hoof downwardly. Thisfacilitates the attainment of greater speed with less effort. Only aslight downward tilt is provided for, however, since the decreasingthickness of the rim 11 toward the heel tips 12 establishes a rearwardconvergence between the land 17 and the upper face 16, and actually, theplane of the web 14, which corresponds to the plane of the bottom of thehorses hoof when the shoe is attached, will tend to assume substantiallya level position when the shoe is in penetrating en gagement with alevel track suface under the dead weight of a horses quarter centeredabove the shoe. A further advantage of the variable penetration by. rim11 resides in increased ability to pivot at the toe area of the shoe,with the resistance to side slip gradually diminishing toward the heel.

An overall advantage resides in the combination of maximum traction inthe toe area where it is most advantageous, combined with heel lift, ina shoe having a cross section of substantially constant area throughoutits arcuate extent. In this respect, the greater depth of rim 11 in thetoe area 13 balances the greater width of rim 11 at the heel tips 12;and vice versa, the maximum thinness of rim 11 at the toe area balancesthe minimum depth of rim 11 at the heel area. Thus it is possible tofabricate the shoe from a length of material originally havingsubstantially uniform cross section along its length. During thefabricating process, the cross sectional shape is varied withoutsubstantially varying the cross sectional area. It is thereforepossible, by using a pair of geared rolls having peripheral grooves ofvarying cross-sectional contour corresponding to the varying crosssectional contour of the upper and lower faces of the shoe respectively,to roll a heat softened rod from a uniform cross sectional shape to theprogressively varying cross sectional shape of the shoe, to thereaftersever said rod into sections each having therein, in linear succession,the various crosssectional contours of the shoe beginning with one heeltip 12 and extending to the other tip 12; and thereafter to reheat suchsection and bend it into the bowed form of the shoe. For accuracy inobtaining uniformity in the final @Fig: 6 illustrates a. slightmodification of the invention,

in a training plate of more nearly circular shape and shorter than theshoe of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 also illustrates that in a training plate, thewidth of the bottom face 17' of rim 11' may be slightly wider than thetoe area 13, and thewidth of web 10 in the toe area may becorrespondingly slightly less. The proportions in the heel extremitiesare substantially the same as in Fig. 1. This slightly broader face isbetter forrunning on turf where the shoe is to be used as a trainingplate; whereas the shoe of Fig. 1

1, with its rim 11 of more nearly knife edge form in the toe area 13, ismoreadaptable for dirt tracks.

, In attaching a shoe to the horses hoof, horseshoe nails are driventhrough apertures 21 and through the marginal areasof the hoof, in aconventional manner. ,Rim 11 is of greater height than base width (widthwhere it joins web 10) in the toe area, and of greater width than heightat the heel tips.

' The vertical forward face 19a at the toe of the shoe increases thedig. or penetration of the toe area into I the track, since it lessensthe inclination of this forward face toward the horizontal when thehorses hoof and the shoe are tilted forwardly, with the heel lifted (acommon attitude when the shoe makes initial contact with the tracksurface during a running operation). This feaure eliminates eighty-fivepercent of the slippage experienced in ,the use ofeonventional racingshoes on dirt tracks.

Iclaim:

1. In a shoe for racing horses, having heel tips and a toearea,comprising: athin web lying generally in a horizontal plane when theshoe is in a rest position in full contact with the ground; and a rim,said rim projecting downwardly from the periphery of said web throughoutthe circumferential extent thereof in said rest position, the depth ofsaid downward projection below the underface of said web decreasingprogressively from said toe area to said heel tips and said rim havingas its underface, a ground-engaging land which varies in widthprogressively and gradually throughout the arcuate extent of the shoe,from minimum width at said toe area to maximum width at said heelextremities.

2. A shoe as defined in claim 1, whereinsaid rim is of substantiallyknife edge section at said toe area.

3. A shoe as defined in claim 1, wherein said rim is of greater heightthan base width at said toe area and is of greater width than height atthe heel tips.

4. A shoe as defined in claim 1, wherein said rim is of substantiallyknife edge section and of greater height than base width at said toearea and has a height only slightly greater than the thickness of saidweb at said heel tips.

5. A shoe as defined in clairnl, wherein the forward face of the toeportion of said rim is disposed at right angles to the general plane ofsaid web.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS225,260 Williams Mar. 9, 1880 FOREIGN PATENTS 391,960 France Sept. 11,1908

